1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to boats and in particular to boats that may be converted into multiple hull configurations.
2. Description of Related Art
Recreational boats are available with a variety of hull configurations. Each configuration has benefits for different uses and conditions. In particular, shallow multihull boats have great stability, particularly at low speeds and at rest. These boats are desirable for fishing or cruising on calm waters, are well suited for coaching of various watersports due to their low wake, and can also achieve high speeds with relatively low wake. Water skiers prefer low wake to enable carving of turns, thus a shallow multihull boat is desirable for this sport.
Deep vee bottomed boat hulls are advantageous at high speeds and in rough water conditions. They can also create a significant amount of wake, which is desirable for wakeboarding. At lower speeds this design has less stability, and is therefore less desirable for low speed or at rest recreational uses, such as fishing, low speed cruising or resting at anchor.
Both deep vee bottom and shallow multihull boats have advantages. Rather than utilize multiple boats to meet the needs of all water sport enthusiasts, boats with convertible boat hulls allowing multiple hull profiles are desirable. Previous attempts have been made to allow conversion between two different hull shapes, however such attempts have not been satisfactory.
Some previous convertible boat hull attempts have included designs which modify the shape of a single hull, but do not include multiple hulls. Examples of such are U.S. Pat. No. 6,223,674 B1 to Wyman et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 3,559,222 to Walker.
Other attempts have included the ability to adjust the configuration of multiple hulls, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 2012/0024211 A1, Wiltse, but stabilizers remain present in all configurations. Additionally, the movement of the pontoons or stabilizers in such designs is largely vertical and does not affect the overall width of the boat.
The configuration illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 6,619,224 B1, Syfritt, similarly does not significantly affect the overall width of the boat between the two configurations. Additionally, this design includes only one bow.